Written by Father Michael
Flipping through the channels (I have my own remote, I do not share) the other evening I heard the unforgettable lyrics from 55 years ago.
“This old man he played one. He played knick-knack on my knee. Knick-knack paddywack, give a dog a bone. This old man came rolling home.” (www.kididdles.com/lyrics/t032.html) .
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness was running on Turner Classics. Ingrid Bergman was Gladys Aylward, an “unqualified” missionary in China during the China-Japanese war in the 1930’s. The real Gladys was disappointed that her story was turned into such a great love story. But through it all there are many great lessons to be learned from this classic film. It may be a good one for Lent. It depicts sacrifice and a deep love to serve God and His people. And is done very well, although full of inaccuracies and great liberties under the direction of Mark Robson and the casting of Bergman, who was tall and Gladys short, and Curd Jurgens and Robert Donat, westerners casted as easterners. Just like the great artists of western Europe gave us enduring but inaccurate portraits of Jesus and the saints.
There are many lines that resonate with me. The missionary seeing what can be and the practical military seeing what it is during a time of strife and war. Gladys: I like China the way it is. The Captain: Filthy? Ignorant? Backward? Gladys: No, but if your house is dirty you can clean it. Gladys will not abandon her work, her mission, her children, her new country even during the hard times. She worked with what she had. The story of her life. The head of missions in London would not accept her, she was deemed unsuitable and of low class and uneducated to do the work. The truth was she was most qualified; she had love and the ability to share it. She let her acts of kindness and love do her preaching. She was the embodiment of St. Francis of Assisi words: “Preach always, use words if necessary”. Her deeds spoke a thousand words. Gladys expresses what we all are like when she answered a query about Six Pence, a child she took into her ever growing Inn. She said his first was “No”. Does it sound familiar? We answer “No” daily to God’s call to love like He loves. We have so many opportunities, but we take so few opportunities. Fortunately we have a God who never tires of asking us.
A few answer “yes” and they inspire us to try. Joyce Rupp writes in her book, May I Have this Dance?: then I offer my waiting self to the one who never stopped believing in me.
This Lent listen to life giving invitation to dance with God. May it be joyous. God calls the most unlikely, awkward people to the dance and regardless of their ability He makes them shine. SHINE. Don’t answer “NO”.